Suspended watercraft seat system

ABSTRACT

A seat system for watercraft, preferably inflatable watercraft, the seat system comprising a seat having a base and a backrest, a support system comprising straps removably attaching the seat to the inner sidewall of the watercraft, the seat system alleviating at least a portion of a user&#39;s weight from the watercraft floor.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of and the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/185,865, entitled “SUSPENDED WATERCRAFT SEAT SYSTEM,”filed Jun. 29, 2015, (Attorney Docket No. Orgsport-2-6954), the fulldisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for allpurposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to watercraft, and more specifically to aseat system for a kayak or canoe.

BACKGROUND

Water sports are popular recreational activities enjoyed by many.Kayaking and canoeing in particular are quite popular. While inflatableand hard-sided watercraft are both known and used, inflatable watercrafthave become increasingly popular due to their ease of use,transportability and lower cost. Traditionally, the weight of the useris supported on the floor of the inflatable watercraft. As a result, thebottom of the watercraft tends to bow outward into the water and createsdrag as well as interfering with the watercraft tracking. The suspendedseat system of the present invention supports enough of the user'sweight to alleviate the bowing out of the watercraft floor, thusreducing drag and improving tracking. Even for hard-sided watercraft,the suspended seat system will provide additional comfort for the user.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of some embodiments of theinvention in order to provide a basic understanding of the invention.This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to presentsome embodiments of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude tothe more detailed description that is presented later.

In some embodiments, a seat system for watercraft is provided includinga seat structure having a bottom and a backrest, a support system havingat least two straps, one supporting the seat bottom and one supportingthe backrest, the straps include connecting mechanisms which areremovably connected to a track on the inner side of each watercraftsidewall for alleviating at least a portion of a user's weight from thewatercraft floor when the user is sitting in the seat structure.

The seat system may further include a plurality of connection pointsalong the watercraft sidewall track for removable attachment of strapconnecting mechanisms to allow for multiple positioning of the seatbetween the stern and aft sections of the watercraft.

In some embodiments, the straps of the support system pass through theseat material such that the seat is movable along the strap foradjustment by the user.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentinvention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed descriptionand accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention, and theattendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readilyunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a watercraft including a seat system ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seat system shown in FIG.1; and

FIG. 3 is a cut-away side view of the seat system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various embodiments are described. Forpurposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments.However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that thepresent invention may be practiced without the specific details.Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in ordernot to obscure the embodiment being described.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like reference numeralsrepresent like parts throughout the several views, FIGS. 1 and 2 show awatercraft W having suspended seat system 10. Suspended seat system 10includes seat structure 20, support system 30 and track 40. Thewatercraft is a conventional watercraft of standard construction such asa kayak or canoe. The watercraft may be either inflatable or hard-sided,but is preferably inflatable. The general configuration and manufactureof inflatable and hard-sided kayaks and canoes is known and thusspecific configuration details of the watercraft are omitted in order tonot obscure the embodiments being described.

Seat structure 20 includes seat base 22 and backrest 24 as shown in FIG.2. Preferably, backrest 24 also includes side flaps 26 for added comfortand adjustability. Seat base 22 and backrest 24 may be a single piece ormay be separate pieces connection together, preferably with a flexiblehinge section between the pieces to allow the forming of a traditionalseat with a bottom and a backrest. The specific construction of the seatis not the focus of the present invention and conventional seatconstruction for watercraft, particularly inflatable watercraft, can beused and will not be described in detail here. Conventional materialssuch as nylon, polyester, mesh and other watersport fabrics may be used.The seat structure 20 may include padding for comfort, as well asadditional pockets and other storage trappings.

Support system 30 includes at least four points of support provided fromside straps 32 and bottom straps 34. Preferably, support system 30includes six points of support including two from side straps 32 andfour from bottom straps 34. Most preferably, support system 30 includeseight points of support including two from side straps 32 and six frombottom straps 34. Additional points of support could be included byadding additional straps on either the seat base 22, backrest 24 or sideflaps 26. Straps are preferably made of polypropylene, nylon orpolyester but could be made of other durable yet flexible materialsknown in the industry. Straps may be permanently secured to seatstructure 20 by stitching, but other means of securing such as rivets,welding, adhesive and the like are also contemplated. Straps 32, 34 mayinclude free ends and secured ends such that straps are of shorterlengths of material which are secured to seat base and backrest,respectively, at secured ends and extend outward, terminating in freeends. Preferably, straps 32, 34 comprise a single length of materialwith only two free ends per strap such that straps extend across thewidth of seat base and backrest and a central portion of strap issecured to the respective seat base or backrest, leaving the free endsunconnected. Most preferably, straps 32, 34 comprise longer lengths ofmaterial which pass through channels created in seat or seat cover (asshown in FIG. 2) such that seat structure 20 is movable and adjustableover at least a portion of strap, with free ends extending outward.

Free ends of straps 32, 34 include connecting mechanisms 36. Connectingmechanisms are preferably hooks for attachment to track 40. Connectingmechanism 36 for strap 32 may be the same as or different from theconnecting mechanism for strap 34. Connecting mechanisms are preferablymade of ABS plastic, acetel, injection molded nylon, aluminum, steel orother materials known and used in the industry which are strong anddurable. Optionally, connecting mechanism may include a locking clip ora carabiner clip.

Track 40 receives connecting mechanisms 36 and supports seat structure20 via straps 32, 34. Track 40 includes connecting rail 42, base rail 44which preferably extend along a portion of the length of watercraft W onthe inside wall both on the starboard and port sides. Base rail 44 issecured to the inside wall of watercraft W, preferably by stitching ontothe cover of an inflatable watercraft, although other methods ofpermanent attachment which are known in the industry may be used. Forhard-sided watercraft, base rail 44 may be secured by riveting, welding,us of adhesives and the like. Connecting rail 42 is secured to base rail44. For inflatable watercraft, connecting rail 42 is preferably stitchedto base rail 44. For hard-sided watercraft, connecting rail 42 may besecured to base rail 44 by stitching, riveting, welding, use ofadhesives and the like.

Connecting rail 42 comprises a plurality of connection points 46 thatare preferably evenly spaced along the length of connecting rail 42 forreceiving connecting mechanisms 36. Preferably, connection points 46comprise loops of the rail material which are created by stitchingseparate sections approximately every one inch along connecting rail 42to allow the connecting mechanism 36 to be securely retained therein andto allow for multiple adjustment of seat location between the stern andaft portions of the watercraft. Connection points 46 may be spacedcloser or farther apart from each other than one inch, depending on thesize of the connecting mechanisms 36 that are used. The key is to sizeconnection points 46 to accommodate the connecting mechanisms 36 snuglyfor a secure, yet removable, fit. While only a single connecting rail 42on each side is preferred, and all connecting mechanisms 36 from allstraps 32, 34 are secured thereto, it is possible to have two separateconnecting rails on each side, one located above the other, such thatconnecting mechanisms from strap 32 and connecting mechanisms from strap34 secure to different rails. Both connecting rail 42 and base rail 44are preferably made of flexible and durable material such apolypropylene, nylon, polyester and the like.

In a preferred embodiment, the sides of an inflatable watercraft willdeflect slightly outward when the seat system is in use such that seatsystem 10 will take a portion of the weight load from the watercraftfloor. The seat does not need to be fully suspended once a user isseated and their body weight is applied, but may rest gently on thewatercraft floor. Seat system 10 supports enough user weight between thefloor and sides to alleviate the bowing normally present in inflatablewatercraft where the user sits on the watercraft floor, thus reducingdrag and improving tracking. For hard-sided watercraft, seat system 10provides increased comfort for the user.

Other variations are within the spirit of the present invention. Thus,while the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof areshown in the drawings and have been described above in detail. It shouldbe understood, however, that there is no intention to limit theinvention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, asdefined in the appended claims.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to beconstrued as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joinedtogether, even if there is something intervening. Recitation of rangesof values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method ofreferring individually to each separate value falling within the range,unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value isincorporated into the specification as if it were individually recitedherein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitableorder unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplarylanguage (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitationon the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language inthe specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimedelement as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention.Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisinvention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

All references, including publications, patent applications, andpatents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the sameextent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicatedto be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entiretyherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A seat system for watercraft, comprising: A seat structure; A support system attached to the seat structure; A track located on the inner side walls of a watercraft, the support system removably attachable to the track by a plurality of connecting mechanisms at a corresponding plurality of connection points.
 2. The seat system of claim 1, wherein the seat structure comprises a base and a backrest and the support system comprises at least a first strap attached to the base and a second strap attached to backrest, the first and second straps each having at least one free end attached to separate connecting mechanisms and the first and second straps being removably connected to the track at a plurality of connection points by a corresponding plurality of said connecting mechanisms.
 3. The seat system of claim 2, wherein said connecting mechanisms are hooks.
 4. The seat system of claim 2 wherein said first strap passes through the base and said second strap passes through the backrest to allow movement of the seat structure along at least a portion of the first and second straps, each of the first and second straps having two free ends and each free end attached to a connecting mechanism.
 5. The seat system of claim 4 further comprising a third strap that passes through the seat base, said third strap having two free ends each attached to a connecting mechanism, each of the connecting mechanisms removably attachable to a connection point on the track.
 6. The seat system of claim 5, wherein said connection points are loops of webbing strap.
 7. A seat system for inflatable watercraft, comprising: A seat structure having a base and a backrest; A first and a second strap each passing through the seat base and a third strap passing through the seat backrest, each of the straps having two free ends and each free end attached to a connecting mechanism; A plurality of connection points located along the inner sidewall of the inflatable watercraft, each of the plurality of connection points shaped and sized to receive and snugly retain a connecting mechanism. 